


Never Surrender

by SanguineNoctis



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Bottom Loki, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Light BDSM, M/M, Porn With Plot, Post-Avengers (2012), Pseudo-Incest, Sibling Incest, Smut, Top Thor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-12
Updated: 2013-07-12
Packaged: 2017-12-19 03:37:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/878974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SanguineNoctis/pseuds/SanguineNoctis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stuck in a cave on Jotunheim, Thor and Loki learn to get along - but perhaps there's something more that might bring them closer together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Surrender

**Author's Note:**

> My first smutty story, woohoo! And with no rape in sight! It's amazing! I am able to avoid it! I tried to write it as PWP, but it just ended up with plot and stuff - emotions, angst, feels, etc. Couldn't be helped, my brain just works that way, apparently. But! There's still the sex. You know you're all just here for the sex. XD Thorki, smutty deliciousness. But...serious feels may interfere, sorry about that.
> 
> And yes, I realize the 'trapped in a cave together' idea is a cliche (trope?) but I haven't seen it used very often so I thought, 'Why not?'
> 
> (Check out 'Never Surrender' by Skillet for a song that's great to listen to while reading this.)

The two princes ran into the cave, breaths huffing in white clouds as the frigid pursuer on their heels bellowed to the high winds at its lost prey. The creature was large, to say the least, larger than any they had encountered before, with the icy breath of Jotunheim passing through its jaws at every turn. Even Thor had trouble with it, but his main concern for now was his brother, who looked ready to fall over if the wind blew but a little harder.

" _Why_ ," hissed Loki, white breath disappearing in the air, "must you  _always_   _insist_  on following me?!" He leaned heavily on the hard ice-wall of the cave, breathing raggedly with eyes sharp and cold on the elder prince.

Thor watched carefully out the mouth of the cave for a moment, then, without warning, smashed his hammer into the ceiling, causing great ice chunks to fall onto the opening.

The mischief god stumbled back, arm slightly raised. "What in the realms are you  _doing_?" he barked at the other.

"Night will soon come," said the elder as he watched the final pieces fall, covering the already failing light outside. He looked to his brother next. "We are on Jotunheim, brother, or did you think we could survive its dark harshness with nothing but stubbornness?" His voice was mellow but his words were as hard as the ice surrounding them.

The corner of Loki's mouth quirked in a small smirk. "Humorous. But it is  _your_  stubbornness that led us here - I would have been halfway to Alfheim by now if you hadn't interrupt-"

"Hadn't  _what_ , Loki?" The thunderer stepped closer. "Hadn't come here to retrieve you  _again_? Hadn't had to convince father to spare you execution for your stupidity and lack of remorse for what you have done? What is it, brother? Has all that silver-tongued cleverness abandoned you in the abyss you fell-" Thor gritted his teeth and grimaced, looking down slightly.

Loki stared at him, nothing to betray his feelings but a small crease between his brows. There was silence, for a moment, then, "I see," said the second prince. He tilted his head. "You think me a coward. That I'm a fool for running when I should stand and fight."

Blue eyes jumped to green ones. "Do not put words in my mouth," pointed Thor. But he still knew that his statement was unduly harsh; Loki's fall was something he never jested about, nor would he ever, but sometimes the words just came... The thunder god sighed, eyes closing. "I am sorry, brother, I-"

"Do not call me that..." said Loki, but the words were soft and without bite.

Thor, again, stepped closer, a hand ready to grasp the other, but he held back. "And do not say  _that_. I do not care if you do not acknowledge my love for you; you  _are_  my brother - you always have been, always will be." Loki's face was averted, darkness growing on his face for the failing light. "You know my stubbornness more than most, Loki. Can you tell me I would ever betray that love, no matter what you try?"

A minute shake of the trickster's head might have been Thor's eyes playing a game with him, or perhaps the fading light, but he saw it nonetheless.

A sigh, however, most definitely did escape the mischief god's mouth. He looked about, green eyes searching. "I suppose we are stuck here, then."

Thor shrugged. "Only until morning. That beast - whatever it is - is not likely to roam out there forever, and I cannot leave you here while I hunt it down."

"What are you suggesting?" accused Loki. "That I am too weak to take the creature on my own? I don't remember you spending a week on Jotunheim alone-"

"Exactly," interrupted Thor. "You have spent many more days here than I and you have exhausted your magic. I will not leave you so that I may battle a beast; you will rest, we will sleep, then we will depart in the morn."

Both princes stared at each other for a moment - Thor daring the other to make a challenge, and Loki clearly considering whether he should. But the next moment his shoulders slumped, suddenly too tired to take on an insistent thunder god.

Loki rolled his eyes and sat down, leaning against the cold wall. "Whatever you say,  _mighty_  thunderer, I care not."

The elder god nodded twice and joined him, furs wrapping around as the two sat in silence.

 

O - O

It wasn't the howl of the winds that awoke Thor, but instead the wailing of his brother in the middle of the night.

In order to preserve body heat - or what little Loki had to begin with - the two had lain next to each other, even if the younger complained and grumbled at their closeness. And now, so close to the other, Thor felt the scream of his brother reverberate through his own chest from Loki's back.

"Loki! Loki!" Thor shook the other with his hand. "Wake up! You are dreaming, wake up, brother!"

Loki started awake, sitting up with heaving breaths and too-wide eyes. It was dark in the small cave, but Loki, with what little reserve of magic he had left, had cast faerie light that hovered silently overhead, green but sufficient to see without disturbing their sleep.

"Are you awake?" whispered Thor, a hand steady and firm on the other's shoulder.

"What?" Loki blurted out, looking to him.

"You were dreaming."

"What of it?" said the trickster, but his voice shook slightly.

"You were...screaming..."

Loki frowned, not looking at the elder. He licked his lips and ran a trembling hand through half his hair, messing it up more than it had been, strands sticking out every which way. "I apologize," was all he said, still clearly unwell.

Expecting a scathing mark or a denial, Thor was taken aback. "I- it is... alright. Do you...wish to speak of it-?"

"No," said Loki immediately, looking at nothing.

Thor nodded, not wishing to break their temporary peace for his curiosity, and more so when he knew his little brother would not answer anyway. Thus, he laid back down on his side slowly, his head on his folded left arm.

There was a long silence before Loki once again joined him, the discarded furs gathered around and over both brothers.

Although Thor was tired he could not bring himself to fall asleep again, and, by the way Loki moved every few seconds, he guessed the same about the younger. When several more minutes passed - or perhaps half an hour - Thor began to notice a slight trembling from his brother, small as it was.

"Brother," began Thor, "are you... cold?" He felt like a fool saying it, but he wasn't sure what else to say.

Loki said nothing, although his shaking did not subside.

Although it was a risk, and surely he might get a dagger to the face for it, Thor scooted closer to Loki's back and, very, very carefully, draped his right arm over the other's chest.

The trickster god stiffened immediately. Thor wondered if he should pull back now, or wait to see what happened. When several more minutes passed, he opted for the latter. What was the worst that could happen? Other than a pointy object thrown at his face...

Still, after a time, Loki slowly relaxed, then, as if it were a dream, he even seemed to settle against Thor's chest and arm. Needless to say, the thunder god was now wondering if he had indeed fallen asleep.

The younger god took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, almost sighing - but again, that might have been Thor's imagination.

There was a strange calm for a time, then, Loki spoke. "It was the abyss," he said quietly.

Thor frowned and leaned forward until his face almost touched the midnight tresses before him. "What do you mean?" he said almost as quietly.

The dark head shook lightly. "I...I don't know what I'm saying-"

"Loki, please," said Thor, unwilling to let this moment go, the first time his brother had spoken to him without bitterness or hatred filling his silver-tongued words.

There was a moment of hesitation, but finally, "You were gone..."

Thor settled against his brother's back a little more; he told himself he was just trying to get comfortable, that he was not stalling, even for how much he had wanted to hear of such things, of what had happened  _before_ , when he was so long separated from his sibling. "Gone?" was all he managed, feeling again like a fool for such small words.

"I- I know-" Loki swallowed audibly "-I know that you were  _gone_ , but there, you were..."

A sniffle. Suddenly Thor realized that Loki was crying- the act wasn't so strange except... it  _was_ , somehow. "Brother?" he mumbled quietly, again not certain of what to say, not certain of  _anything_  right now.

Loki continued as if Thor hadn't spoken. "You had given up on me. I imagined- I saw things... Things that had happened, things that had never happened. The past, the future, I don't know." His breath hitched and he sniffed again. "There was a terrible darkness, and a screaming brightness. I couldn't feel myself for a long time, then..." Thor held his breath, he couldn't move. "Then it wasn't just that I had left you,  _you_ had left me, too."

Thor nuzzled closer to his brother, his face coming up over Loki's dark hair and whispered there. "But I haven't left you, brother. I haven't. It doesn't matter what happened, it wasn't real-"

"But it was!" yelled Loki suddenly, his face whipping around as his body remained still. Even in the dim light Thor could see the overflowing tears and the hurt that lingered in the, now, too-green orbs. " _I felt it_ ," he sobbed. "I didn't want to..." He turned back around and shook his head resignedly. "I didn't want to."

Thor couldn't help it, he held Loki closer to him, tightly, as if he might disappear into that void again if he let go even slightly. "But I'm here now," he said, his lips suddenly against the younger's neck. "I'll never leave, never leave you. Never, never..." he trailed off.

Loki sniffled again and held just as tightly to the arm over his chest, letting his tears fall without care.

It was strange, Thor thought, that in this moment, his body moved without his thinking. The warm neck against his lips, the trembling body flush against his, the strands of dark hair that moved as his eyes blinked away his own tears forming. He couldn't explain it, didn't know why, but when his lips placed a delicate kiss on his brother's neck, he didn't stop himself. And, to his surprise, the trickster in his embrace did nothing to stop him, either.

The arm draped over the other moved next, moving up and caressing Loki's neck at his pulse-point, then, running a thumb along the sharp jaw line and chin. His fingers touched a wet cheek, then ran a single digit from the bridge of the other's nose to its tip.

For all the years Thor had known his brother, he had never before touched his face in such a manner. Loki was a statuesque beauty, he had to admit, with features chiseled as if from the most marvelous marble by a master at the craft. He was a strange amalgamation of both sexes, both masculine and feminine in one, a most tantalizing and exotic combination, Thor thought.

His finger next ran down and across the wet lips, then down along the long length of his pale neck. Thor felt Loki swallow and smiled a little, knowing the other could not see. His hand continued down, across the expanse of a flat but hard chest - even through the leather - then, as it neared the other's belt, he felt Loki gasp, even if he could not hear it for all the blood rushing through his ears.

Before he knew what he was doing, Thor had slipped his hand under Loki's belt, his fingers finding their target without delay. He briefly wondered how he could find himself not hesitating, given who was lying next to him, but the thought was drowned out when his hand began stroking the already half-hardened shaft and a small moan escaped his brother's lips. Loki quickly stopped himself making sounds, however, he couldn't control his breathing as readily, breaths going in and out quickly.

Thor stroked as he would himself, although he imagined Loki to be less quick about it and more... sensual, perhaps? He couldn't be certain, but given that another moan had already moved passed the other's lips, he guessed that he wasn't far off.

It wasn't long before Loki was shooting into Thor's hand, which, somehow, surprised Thor when it happened so quickly. Seemingly embarrassed, the trickster's hand rubbed at his neck and head, and he refused to turn to the elder, although he next gathered a cloth and wiped Thor's hand clean. Even so, Loki didn't move away or make biting remarks - as Thor was expecting - he simply lay back down and settled back into his elder brother's arms, back toward him again.

Although there was a,  _somewhat_ , awkward moment passing, it wasn't until Loki spoke that Thor suddenly felt embarrassed himself. "I didn't expect  _you_  to get so excited, Thor."

The thunderer frowned in bemusement for a moment, but soon understood when he realized his own erection was pressing against his brother's back. "I- I am sorry, brother, I-"

But Loki turned around suddenly, flipping on his other side so that they now faced each other. "Don't be," he said quietly, eyes half-lidded and watching the other with an expression Thor couldn't place.

And suddenly, the sight of Loki- of  _Loki_ , so bright and beautiful and  _here_ , with  _him_ , so alive and warm and  _willing_  made Thor want him all the more, to make him his,  _his Loki._  Not just  _brother_ , not just family, but something... something more complete. To keep him with him always, no more running and hiding and chasing after him as a fox to a rabbit; he didn't want to lock Loki up, as everyone else did, but he did, now, more than ever, want to chain him, but not in some dungeon, cold, where he could not see him, but to himself, so that he, in return, might be bound to Loki, as well.

A feral pull made the thunder god growl and push his frame onto the younger god as he felt Loki spread his legs and tilt his head back, exposing his long slender neck to him. The sight of it made Thor smile with dangerous teeth as he bit lightly at the skin there, growling again. He heard Loki gasp and open his mouth as he arched his back and wrapped an arm around Thor's neck.

"Take me..." whispered Loki, and by the way his eyes were closed Thor wondered if the mischief god was even aware of what he had just said.

When the trickster's second arm wrapped around Thor, the thunderer, with rough hands, but with care as to not rip, removed the other's leathers and furs, controlling his frustration at the many layers the trickster felt the need to wear, despite being of the cold himself and not needing them.

After his clothing was haphazardly, and still not completely, removed, Loki let go of Thor and lay flat on his back, although his legs remained wrapped around the other. He stared at the thunderer through dark eyelashes, watching as Thor quickly unlaced his own trousers and let himself free. The trickster raised a delicate brow as he eyed his length, but Thor was not shy and simply smirked and leaned over the other, arms flanking the thin but finely-built god.

Before the silver-tongue could speak - for he knew that was Loki's intent - Thor smothered his mouth with his own, quick and rough and tasting where he wished with tongue and lip and teeth. He felt some resistance, though, as the trickster attempted to close his teeth, but Thor was determined, feeling the urge to lay claim where he pleased, forcing his tongue passed the teeth and leaning his considerable frame onto Loki's. He heard the younger god chuckle lightly in his throat as he explored his mouth thoroughly, feeling the other's tongue make way where Thor wished.

His exploring finished, Thor drew back but quickly lowered himself again, licking and biting at Loki's neck. In response Loki threw his head back and arched his spine, grabbing onto Thor's back and neck for support. And when Loki's hand scratched at his neck, the thunderer growled and bit the trickster's collarbone, causing the younger to whimper unexpectedly.

"I like that sound," Thor's voice rumbled across Loki's chest. "Make it again..." he ordered as he scraped his teeth against the pale skin.

A sharp intake of breath. "Make me," taunted Loki through his teeth.

Thor grabbed a handful of hair at the back of Loki's head with one hand, which caused him to gasp again as Thor forced his head back. Even through his haze of lust Thor could see the way Loki bit his bottom lip as his green eyes watched through darkened lashes.

Without warning Thor placed his other hand over Loki's mouth roughly, then began grinding his erection against Loki's, which was again beginning to harden. Caught off-guard, the trickster whimpered, unable to move his head nor body with the thunder god bearing down on him. Immediately, Thor felt Loki harden against him, and he didn't think it was all because of the friction.

Smiling, Thor leaned down and nearly whispered, voice low, "You like that, don't you, trickster? You like big brother being in control?"

Loki's eyes narrowed at him, but the lust never left. He looked ready to retort, no doubt with harsh words that could cut as sharp as razors, but Thor hadn't let go of his mouth. And again, this knowledge seemed to arouse Loki further, as he tilted his head back and moaned as his eyes fluttered.

And how very strange, Thor thought, that his brother, who was so intent on control and self-sufficiency and independence, was so aroused by suddenly losing that control. Next, he wondered if it was all a farce, the stubbornness and arrogance, a mask he put on for others, or if he simply enjoyed giving up that control in bed, or - even if it was somewhat egotistical - if there was something about  _Thor_  that brought out the submissive streak in him.

It didn't matter, not at the moment, so Thor put the thoughts away to think on later. Even so, this new knowledge might prove... interesting. Thus, he leaned down and growled right into Loki's ear, "Don't speak unless I tell you to, brother." He then backed away, then loosed his hold on the other's mouth but not his hair.

Immediately, Loki spoke. "As if I would-" he began, but was cut off when Thor yanked on his hair and caused a decidedly lusty gasp to escape the mischief god, his mouth half open, jaw rigid. Still, he said nothing further as he stared at Thor.

Thor untangled his hand from the dark hair, then backed away slightly as he ordered: "Do not move unless I say."

Loki only responded by licking his lips and continuing to watch the elder, although he did not move.

Thor watched him in turn, not taking his gaze away as he maneuvered his hands to spread Loki's legs wider, then leaned back over the other. "And do you have something to say?" Thor asked, eyes still intent.

He watched the pink lips open, then, abruptly, shut again.

Since Thor's eyes were on Loki, distracting him, the trickster did not know that Thor's finger was ready to slip inside him, thus causing Loki to buck up at the sudden intrusion. "Thor!" Loki gasped out, grabbing at the furs beneath him. Loki had also missed how Thor had grabbed the previously discarded rag from earlier, covered in Loki's seed, and had covered his fingers in it as a lubricant.

"You're not the only one who can be sneaky, brother," Thor murmured to him as he slid his finger in, trying to acclimate his brother to the sudden penetration.

"That wasn't very-  _ha!_ " Loki arched his back as Thor pushed in a second finger.

"And," said Thor, lifting his brother around the waist with his free hand, "I did not give you permission to speak."

Loki glared at him, but he felt him relax against his fingers as Thor worked him open.

"Relax," said Thor slowly. "I have you... I have you." He held Loki closer to him and hugged him to his chest, holding the younger with a hand at the back of his neck. Was Loki always so light? The younger god grasped at Thor's back, as if he thought he might fall away if the other let go. "I will never let you go, brother," murmured Thor, a third finger working its way in. "I've got you..."

When Loki was relaxed and no longer holding on - almost desperately - Thor removed his fingers and set him down. He didn't take his eyes off his brother, but he didn't need to. He settled between Loki's legs and swiftly lifted the younger's lower body up, angling him better, then, leaning over him, Thor slowly pushed himself in, carefully watching every movement on the other's face.

Loki, too, stared back, but only for a moment as he soon began breathing hard as his brows furrowed slightly. And when Thor had gotten nearly halfway in, he whimpered and shut his eyes.

"Shh, shh," said Thor. "I won't hurt you. Be still, brother. Relax." Loki, almost immediately, relaxed as Thor slid in more, resisting every urge to just push in with one swift movement and get it over with.

When Thor was completely sheathed inside his brother, he waited a moment, then, instincts pulling him, he slid out again and, as slowly as he could manage, pushed back in. Loki gritted his teeth a little but breathed steadily, eyes still shut. And when Thor pushed in a third time, it was becoming easier, and he decided to be less gentle next time. He muttered 'Relax' before pushing in more quickly, and thankfully, Loki did, as Thor slid in and there was less resistance.

"Good," Thor heard himself say as he ran a hand through Loki's hair. "Good, brother," he said again and Loki sighed and visibly slumped against the furs. It worried Thor a little, this reaction, but he was too busy thrusting in and out more quickly to think on it.

As his pacing sped up, so did Loki's breathing. Thor leaned in to him and wrapped both arms around the slender body, pulling him closer.

"I love you, brother," Thor murmured into Loki's ear as he moved steadily in and out. "I love you." Loki's hands clutched at Thor's tunic at the front as he whimpered and moaned, breathing through his nose.

Loki was still so tight, though, and Thor wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. He wanted this moment to last, to feel his Loki so close, willing in his arms and not running away; for Loki was like the wind - he moved where he wished and changed with little rhyme or reason. The chaos god that did as he pleased and whose mind was as turbulent as the tides. What would he feel after this? Would he run away again? Would they return to what they had been, bitter rivals and almost-brothers? Thor didn't want it to end, he didn't want what was  _before_.

These feelings roiling around in his head, Thor thrust in deeper, harder, but it wasn't enough. Loki let out a loud gasp at each push in, loudly moaning and whimpering occasionally. But it wasn't enough!

Thor hooked his arms under Loki's legs, then pushed them up over his shoulders until Loki's knees touched his shoulders, bending him in half. The trickster seemed to be in a daze, eyes half closed and watching Thor. The thunder god then pushed in further, the angle perfect to thrust as deeply as he could.

After a few thrusts, Loki suddenly cried out, head falling back, neck arched. At first confused, Thor quickly realized what he had done. Smiling, he pushed in again in the same manner, watching with glee as his brother gasped and cried out again, eyes rolling up in his head.

"Does that feel good, brother?" Thor panted as he continued pushing against the spot that was causing his brother to squirm. Loki screamed again, through his teeth. "I said does that feel good? Speak, brother!" yelled Thor as he didn't let up his quickening movements.

"Yes!" Loki burst out. The thunder god continued rutting into the younger as sweat - somehow, even in the cold - poured over the two. "Yes!" screamed Loki again, head still back, delicious neck exposed.

"And do you want more?" asked Thor, slowing down his pace - as agonizing as it was for himself.

The trickster god whimpered and opened his eyes, sad and desperate orbs greeting the thunder god. "Please, brother, yes. More, please, more!"

Thor smiled widely. "How could I resist those eyes? Those words?" He leaned down and kissed Loki quickly on the forehead, then pulled almost completely out and pushed back in harshly, just as Loki screamed again and grabbed his own legs.

"Yes,  _yes_!" the younger god screamed, face red and wanting. "Yes, brother, more!"

The thunder god rubbed roughly at the spot he knew Loki wanted, then smiled as it sent the trickster into a frenzy, moaning and writhing beneath him, breath so fast he thought it might run away from him.

Looking down, Thor noticed that the stickiness that had gathered between them was not just sweat but also Loki's release, although he wasn't certain when it had happened. Feeling his own release approaching, he felt his hips stutter, then, determined to feel every moment, Thor continued to pump into his brother as he felt his seed fill him, riding the last of it until he collapsed atop the form below him.

For several moments nothing happened, except harsh breathing and fast beating hearts. Slowly, Thor slid out of his brother, just as Loki lowered his legs and swallowed.

The thunderer laid on his back next to his brother and Loki, almost reluctantly, moved close to him and cuddled close, his head on the other's chest.

It was quiet, almost serene. The moment after the storm, wet streets and sunlight pouring in as the water drip, drip, dripped across every surface. Thor smiled as he looked down at the dark head of messy hair and put an arm around his little brother.

Looking around, Thor noticed that the walls of the cave were slowly melting, droplets of water falling down the sides. "I think we melted the cave," he observed blankly.

Loki chuckled. " _No_ , I think _you_  melted the cave. Or don't you know that you emit heat when you..." he hesitated, apparently searching for the right word, "...exert yourself."

The thunderer frowned. "I do? Even when I fight?"

"Only in small amounts and only if you get angry. As when we were fighting on that mortal's tower-" Loki stopped.

"Loki?"

A shake of his head, his eyes averted. "Nothing."

Thor wasn't having it, he lifted his brother's head with both hands, forcing him to look at him. Loki's face was sad, his eyes darting between Thor's. The thunderer felt his heart melt. "Loki, it is not 'nothing'. You know I would never have hurt you, not truly, even then." He allowed Loki to lay back down, although the look on the younger's face still haunted him.

"I would have deserved it, after what I did," said Loki quietly, so quietly Thor almost didn't hear. He was about to deny it but Loki spoke again, "You were the only one who never gave up on me, I..." His voice was breaking, his whispers even quieter. "I thought you had- that you had... I thought you wouldn't be waiting anymore, after that. When I came back, I thought I had lost you forever."

"Came back from where, brother?" Thor interrupted, but Loki didn't seem to hear him as the trickster's tears began to fall.

"I was lost, and-and no one ever found me. But I knew," he said in a more determined voice, "I knew that you were still out there, waiting for me. But it didn't matter, did it? None of it mattered..." Loki broke down crying, clutching at Thor's chest and sobbing.

"Brother!" Thor was at a loss, he didn't understand what Loki was saying and it hurt him that he couldn't fix whatever was ailing his little brother. "Please, tell me what you mean!"

Loki shook his head desperately as he hid his face under Thor's chin. "I  _can't_ ," he blubbered and sobbed. "You can't help me! I'm- I'm too broken, I'll never be put back together- not even by you!" He sobbed some more and apparently couldn't stop.

"You are  _not_  broken, brother-" Thor tried.

"No!" cried the trickster. "Don't you see, I am! I'm not me anymore, I'm just a shell, nothing more. He pulled me out and put something else back in!"

"No, brother," Thor said determinedly, pulling Loki away slightly so he could look him in the eye. "You are  _my brother_. Mine. No one will take you away again or hurt you. This I swear."

The forlorn look in Loki's eyes was tearing Thor's heart to pieces, and although he didn't quite understand who 'he' was, he knew that he  _would_  keep his word, he  _would_  keep his brother from harm, even if all the nine realms had to fall for it.

Loki's green orbs darted to and fro between Thor's eyes. "I know you will try," he said, suddenly calm, but a somber darkness still lingered there. "Tell me I'm yours," he said with steady but sad words.

Thor stared back. "You're mine. Now and forever."

Loki didn't move. "Tell me you'll never let me go."

"I'll never let you go.  _Never._ "

A pause, the silence so loud. Then: "Tell me you'll never surrender."

Thor was taken aback by the wording, but answered, quietly but with conviction. "I will never surrender."

The mischief god then leaned down slowly and laid his face against the side of Thor's head, his lips near his ear. "I love you, brother," he whispered, then fell asleep quicker than it took for Thor to realize what Loki had just said.

The god of thunder narrowed his eyes at nothing.

_I will never surrender..._


End file.
